Sunlight/heating

[Joey1983]

Hello. I just go my first BTS yesterday and I had some questions regarding Sunlight and heating. Currently I have him in my bedroom directly in from of the window. It receieves a lot of light throught the day. The window is 6ft by 8 ft very big. Considering the skink will get plenty of natural sunlight every day is it necessary to provide a sunlamp and a heat lamp? Not sure what to do. The room never drops below 60 degrees and will reach abou 85 in the middle of the day. Thanks appreiate your help.

[Richard.C]

if hes in a glass fronted enclosure,you need to be wary of cage getting to hot and cooking your lizard,also they preferably need a temp gradient,as they like to move around abit at different temperatures

ive actually kept some like u mention,but years ago,and in a screen enclosure of sorts,they even bred in there,mine were blotched blueys,so my cool climate facilitated that

what species do u keep,im guessing an indo of some description?

new york gets pretty cold over winter doesnt it,indos are a more tropical occuring species so may need added warmth,u dont need to use uvb lighting for blueys,but id recomend a heat light lit basking spot,and room to escape warmth if it wants or needs to

[Joey1983]

Thanks for he reply. It is a 40 gallon tank (wide) about 18inches height with screen top. The tank has a cooler side with an area he can go in for shade. the other side has rocks and an area i can put the lamp. Would it be enough to turn on the heat lamp at 5pm for few hours when I return home from work? I just feel like the heat lamp would be too muh during the day.

[Katrina]

Welcome to the forum!!

I would move him away from the window or block the light somehow so that it can't over heat too much while you are away and just reply on the heat lamp. They should have the proper temperature gradient during the day and natural sunlight is too unreliable, plus there is no benefit as all UVB is blocked by the glass. If you think the temperatures may fluctuate a lot then I'd definitely recommend some kind of herpestat / rheostat to control the heat and so it can regulate the temperatures and keep them safe. You will need an accurate way to measure the temperatures and then make sure that you are providing the right gradient, Having shade on one side, some sunlight and a heat lamp for part of the day isn't enough because in the end what you need is a basking spot of 95-100F and a cool end of about 75... however you achieve that is fine.

[skeetersmom]

Welcome to the forum You will find this a very friendly informative place to voice your questions, concerns, and comments about blueys. Wonderful group of people here :)

We love to see pics.

I know what you mean about the light putting out a lot of heat - especially with a 40L tank. If I may suggest you purchase a rheyostate for the heat lamp, that way you can regulate the voltage (heat) during the year. I have my bluey in a 4 foot long 18 inch wide and 18" tall tank - putting a 75 watt heat bulb above his basking rock gives a regular temp of 95 degrees C on the rock (that temp is also monitored daily) and a nice gradient temp through out the enclosure. Being in Wisconsin, I understand your winters. When we got our warm spell - I just turned down the voltage of the bulb, but now the tank is covered with 1/4" plywood (I have a drafty house) and he keeps toasty warm.

I would definately suggest getting a digital thermometer - they nice small ones at most pet stores. They have a probe attached to a good length of wire - so you can check different areas. Remember, the top of the rock needs to be warm for them to bask on. I found that I needed to rise my basking rock up a tad with other rocks (a couple of inches) but he has no problem climbing up to in (enjoys climbing actually).

Again, welcome to the forum - nice to see another tenderfoot

[Edward]